Every Morty Needs a Rick
by Sillycritter
Summary: Morty D15 had been without a Rick for so long that loneliness had become the norm. When he meets an equally (if not more so) lonely Rick-a Rick that's on a mission of his own-Morty D15 begins to wonder if perhaps he's found the Rick that he's been looking for. Rated T for swearing. NOT slash! This is a friendship-only story because hey, this isn't A03! Spoilers for Season 3x7.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** Don't own em. Nothin really to see here.

 **SUMMARY:** Morty D15 had been without a Rick for so long that loneliness had become the norm. When he meets an equally (if not more so) lonely Rick-a Rick on a mission of his own-one night in Mortytown, Morty D15 begins to wonder if perhaps he's found the Rick that he's been looking for. Rated T for swearing. NOT slash! This is a friendship-only story because hey, this is fanfiction dot net, not AO3!

 **Author's Note:** This was inspired by the "Tales from the Citadel" Episode 7: The Ricklantis Mixup) of Season 3. Title comes from what was written on the blackboard at the Morty School during one of their lessons. :-)

* * *

Mortytown was not the kind of place you wanted to get lost in.

Unfortunately, it was the kind of place a lot of Mortys wound up who, along the way somewhere, had gotten "lost".

Here was where the displaced, forgotten, and unwanted Mortys lived….

….Mortys who had lost their Ricks…..

…..Mortys who were left by Ricks…

…..Mortys who had no other place else to go…...

This was Mortytown.

Mortyown...

It was the only place that Morty D15 called "Home".

For Morty D15, "home" was a haphazardly patchworked, thin-skinned sleeping bag which was laid out on a horribly moth-eaten mattress, which sat by itself on a dusty and hard cement floor. The cement floor belonged to a musty, crusted, half-dilapidated old abandoned building on the far east side of Mortytown.

There weren't any windows in this part of the building, so it was continuously dark. Yet, Morty D15 didn't mind. He was used to the dank and the dark. When he had to see anything useful, he lit an ancient old antique hurricane lamp (which he'd found on one of his many scavenging adventures). It was quite useful, as he could carry the lamp around at his leisure. In this part of Mortytown, there was no electricity, so he was grateful to have found the lamp to begin with. He didn't have much else as it was.

It was rare to find an abandoned building that hadn't been taken over by other Mortys. There wasn't anyone else to answer to, so Morty D15 lived by his own rules; there were no rules in this part of Mortytown. Morty D15 was used to being alone. He never went to the Citadel, and so never spoke with any Ricks. He only spoke to other Mortys if he had to (which was never).

On one particular night, Morty was feeling a strange emotion that he wasn't used to feeling. He seemed to recall the name for this emotion as loneliness. Where it had come from he wasn't sure but it invoked a longing within his soul. A longing for what, he had no clue….but the feeling grew. It forced him out into the night, where he strolled alone past darkened, broken windows, where the only source of light indicated its inhabitants were lucky enough to have a source of wood, and a lighter or matches to start the flame.

The night was cold, and the streets were vacant; Morty turned his collar up, shivering as he walked. He wasn't even sure where he was walking to, but it didn't matter; as cold as it was, it felt good to be outside.

He stopped at the sight of a light from a nearby building. A light….that wasn't from the various contained fires that had populated the other areas. This light was coming from the basement of a tall, dome-shaped building that was to his right. It looked kind of official and had a big "M" on the front. The "M" was for Morty, and Morty could see other Mortys sitting inside, forming a kind of semi-circle. It seemed like an important meeting.

"Hey- you coming?" a Morty running past him called out hurriedly.

"Huh?" Morty frowned.

"You coming?" The other Morty stood a few feet away from him, just standing there, as if waiting expectantly. When Morty D15 looked his way, the Morty smiled.

Morty felt a strange urge to comply, and walked reluctantly over to the other Morty. (It had been a long time since any Morty had spoken TO him, let alone invited him to something.) "I-what is this place?"

"It's the Mortunda," the other Morty replied as if this was common knowledge, throwing a confused sideways glance in Morty D15's direction. "I mean, aw jeez! You, you new? O-or something?"

"Wh-what's going on in there?" Morty asked, blatantly ignored his question.

"That? S-seriously? It's a session for MIN."

" 'M-MIN'?" Morty had to do a double take in confusion. (How had he lived in Mortytown for this long and never heard of this part of Morty culture?)

"Y-yeah bro! It stands for 'Mortys In Need'...it's a support group for, for Mortys." The other Morty was still looking at him strangely. "You sure you're from around here?" His gaze was lingering too long and far too close in proximity for Morty's sake.

"H-hey man!" Morty yelped with disgust. "Per, personal space, bro! Jeeze!"

"S-sorry," the other Morty mumbled awkwardly, stepping back and blushing profusely, his hands raised up immediately in an automatic truce gesture as they continued to enter the building.

As they entered the room the meeting was taking place in, loud voices assaulted their eardrums. It seemed that the session was well underway and the Mortys involved were having a very heated discussion. From what Morty D15 could gather the topic was focused on what had happened to each Morty's previous Ricks. It also seemed many of these Mortys had had more than one Rick; several, in fact. He was about to make a break for the exit when the Morty that had invited him called out "Hey bro, don't go, here's a seat for ya, man!" and patted the empty chair next to him.

His face reddening, Morty gingerly made his way over to the chair and sat. Looking around, there didn't seem to be any mediator anywhere. "Wh-where's the counselor?" Morty whispered to the Morty next to him.

"He's in the bathroom," the other Morty whispered back.

Meanwhile, the argument towards the center of the room was getting heavier. Two Mortys were now practically jumping out of their seats as they were yelling profusely at each other.

"Hey-y-y-you can't _possibly_ hold ME, uh, re-re-responsible for what MY Rick did!" the Morty who was apparently getting accused for his Rick's death was shouting at the Morty who was making the accusations. "I-I-I didn't force him to

"Y-y- _HELL YES_ I CAN!" the other Morty shouted back, the veins in his neck practically bulging out of his neck in his unbridled rage, "J-JUST like YOU'RE the one who blamed ME for annoying m-m-m-MY RICK to the point of s-s-s-s-SUICIDE because I couldn't st-st-st-st-stop st-st-st-st-DAMMIT!"

"S-s-see?" The other Morty sneered and snickered brutally. "Y-you can't even say the word "stutter" without-"

"Hey SCREW _**YOU,**_ B48! Y-y-y-you think you're so great! Y-your Rick didn't even WANT you to begin with!"

"G-go to hell K125-y-you're better off there, anyway!"

A huge CLASH answered him. Morty D15 covered his face in horror as the Morty who was talking drop-kicked the chair he'd been sitting on, jumped on the other Morty, and began tackling him to the ground. What followed was a series of grunting and groaning as both Mortys rolled around kicking and punching each other any which way they could.

"Wh-wh-WHAT THE HELL!?" Another Morty's voice rang out.

Morty D15 turned to see a Morty in a very well-pressed business suite coming out of an open doorway, carrying a cup which had been full of freshly poured coffee, until he wound up spilling it in his horror at the sight before him.

"I-I-I'm gonna KILL HIM!" the Morty that was pinning down the other Morty screeched in response, thus proceeding to wrap his arms around the other Morty and began choking him.

"WHAT? _**NO-STOP THAT!**_ We-we're supposed to be _**civilized Mortys! W-we don't do that kind of stuff in here!**_ " the Counselor Morty yelled at the top of his lungs furiously as he ran over, "STOP IT RIGHT NOW, THE BOTH OF YOU! Th-that's a _**COMPLETE VIOLATION**_ of the _**ONE TRUE MORTY CODE**_!"

"O-Okay that, that's it-I-I'm done with this shit. S-see ya later." Morty D15 mumbled to the Morty who had invited him inside, as he shuffled quickly to his feet and hurried out of the building. Meanwhile, the Counselor Morty was desperately trying to prevent the two Mortys from killing each other, and the other Mortys in the group were either arguing amongst themselves or looking on dumbfounded.

Completely disgusted that these "individuals" could even be a version of himself, Morty D15 just shook his head and continued quickly out the nearest side door exit. The arguing could still be heard (yet muffled) through the doorway, as he stood huddled against the sudden pickup of wind that whistled through the corridor. Looking around, he realized he was in a short back alleyway that contained a single dumpster and nothing else. A few stray pieces of garbage floated along the ground in circles. Feeling lonely again, Morty D15 braced himself against the wind by leaning against the building. Cupping his hands together, he quickly took out a pack of smokes and lit a cigarette.

He leaned back against the building and took a long lingering drag. It had been awhile since he'd smoked. (That group had really riled up his nerves.)

A sudden cough echoed in the night.

Morty jumped with instinctual fright, and then he quickly froze with shock and confusion: he was alone; he'd come out here through that door all by himself, hadn't he? The alleyway was short, and he hadn't seen anybody else walk past him.

Cough, cough.

Again, Morty froze, and turned in the direction the sound was coming from: the….dumpster?

Morty felt the hairs on his arm raise with suspicion. He crept slowly over to the dumpster-just in time to catch a glimpse of blue spiky hair disappear behind the corner.

"HEY!" Morty yelled out, darting around the corner around which he'd seen the blue spikes vanish. Those blue spikes….he shivered inside at the thought of them; he hadn't seen hair like that in the longest time…..

To his amazement, he saw the hair disappear around the opposite corner of the dumpster, just as before, but in the opposite direction. Now, Morty was getting a little pissed; Ricks weren't even supposed to be in this area of Mortytown, unless they were on "official business": only on-duty Cop Ricks were allowed in these parts. And this Rick couldn't be a Cop Rick, because-Morty couldn't help but wonder-why would a Cop Rick let two Mortys practically kill each other and not intervene?

"Hey YOU." Morty stood stock-still and bellowed out into the night, "I KNOW you're out there! And-if-if you DON'T SHOW YOURSELF, I-I-I-I'm gonna-"

"O-oKAY oKAY, _**keep your voice down already**_ **JESUS!"**

Morty wasn't sure whether to be pleased or annoyed when the Rick that was hiding (for reasons beyond his comprehension), moved at last from out of the shadows and into his view. He was a kind of disheveled-looking Rick; he'd grown a bit of a beard, and his spikes were equally unkempt. In addition to the beard, he also didn't wear the typical Rick clothes. In their place wore a tattered sweater and he also wore a pair of worn down blue pants that seemed long overdue for the cleaners.

"W-what the hell?" Morty mumbled as he couldn't help but stare.

"G-guess you've never seen a Rick who was down on his luck before, huh?" The Rick, in spite of his appearance, sneered arrogantly at him. "Well you're not looking so hot yourself there, Slick."

"M-My name's M-M-Morty," Morty replied sheepishly, blushing in spite of himself. He hadn't seen a Rick in so long he didn't know what to say, and now that he'd spoken, he wish he hadn't. The Rick took one look at him, heard his response and burst out laughing.

"R-really? Y-you don't say!" The Rick snickered. "That, that's some revelatory shit right there! Keep talking you're interesting."

"Morty D15," Morty added, blushing profusely in spite of himself and hating himself or it. (For reasons he couldn't fathom he was always painfully shy around Ricks, just as he was shy around Mortys.)

"Heh." The Rick regarded him with mild amusement. "D-Didn't know any Mortys cared about that stuff anymore."

"Wh-what about you?"

The other Rick's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What ABOUT me?"

Morty rolled his eyes. "What coordinates are you?"

"OH-that." Rick coughed, shaking his head in the direction of Morty's cigarette "Y-you know those things can k-kill you, right?"

"Y-yeah? So?" Morty flicked his other thumb against his forefinger. It seemed strange that any Rick would care about that, but he wasn't about to bring it up.

"S-so, you know, you-you're young," the Rick shrugged as a hasty means of explanation, "y-you shouldn't be doing stuff like, like that at your age-"

"I'm 14!" Morty snapped back hotly, "I can do what I want! I-I'm kinda just, on my own-I, I don't really answer to anybody, y-y'know?" A sudden glaring suspicion overcame him and he narrowed his eyes back towards Rick. "Wh-why are you even here? This is MY town and-and YOU'RE not even supposed to BE here-"

"Uh-yeah-" It was strange to see any Rick blush, but this Rick's face was beat red now; he was awkwardly rubbing the back of his head and turning his eyes skyward. "'Bout that-"

"Aw jeez GROSS!" The only possible reason had just crossed Morty's mind and he recoiled with profound disgust and shock, "were you-were you WATCHING us back there?" He couldn't help but glare darkly now. "Are you one of those sick motherfuckers who come here to perv out on-"

"Ew, WHAT? _**BLECH!**_ **NO!"** The Rick took a step back, hands up in a peace offering looking completely horrified. " **I-just-YUCK!** _ **WHAT!?**_ **UGH! G-g-g-** _ **gross**_ **! That, that's just** _ **DISGUSTING**_ **! I-I-I wouldn't; I couldn't; I-I would** _ **NEVER**_ **-!** " Before he could even respond, the Rick doubled over in an apparent dry-heaving fit. Morty wasn't sure what to think, but his tone seemed genuinely disgusted by the thought as well (which to be honest was quite a relief).

"So…." Morty frowned, filled with both immense confusion as well as curiosity, now deep in thought. "If _that's_ not the reason…."

He stopped and eyed the Rick carefully. The Rick seemed entirely uncomfortable to be in his presence. He had never met a Rick who responded in such a way. What were his motives? Morty wondered silently. "Then…." he began hesitantly, "why are you here?"

The Rick seemed to take forever to face him. When he did, Morty noticed a sudden change in his expression. It was overcome with a strange kind of far-away look. When he turned his gaze upon Morty, it contained such a look of longing that Morty shrunk away, suddenly wanting to disappear.

"Can you keep a secret?" The Rick drew closer and spoke in a hushed whisper.

Morty drew back, suddenly afraid. "W-what secret? A-about what?"

"I-I'm looking for a Morty." The Rick was so close Morty could feel his breath against his skin, and it made his skin crawl. He could smell the booze on Rick's breath. He wanted to run away, but something held him in place.

"Wh-wh-what Morty?" Morty squeaked out. "Wh-what's so special about just one M-Morty…?"

"C-come with me," the Rick replied gruffly, as he took Morty-surprisingly gently-by the arm. "I'll tell you when we get there."

"Wh-where?" Morty's eyes led momentarily back in the direction of the comforting artificial light from the Mortunda, which was suddenly calling him back again. He didn't want to go with this Rick. He didn't want to go with any Ricks. He wasn't sure this Rick could be trusted. (He wasn't sure ANY Ricks could EVER be trusted; his own Ricks had shown him that most of them, if not all of them, couldn't.)

Yet, he let himself be led….through the cold, and dark, and silent streets. It was starting to snow. (Since when did it snow in Mortytown?) "C'mon let's get someplace warm," the Rick said with urgency: and at once, they hurried on through the night, in desperate search for a sign of welcoming light amongst the gathering of shadows….and Morty desperately tried to ignore the occasional set of wary eyes that peered curiously out at him from around dark corners…..knowing that he was doing something forbidden, as no Mortys ever invited any Ricks to Mortytown….but for whatever reason, he was going to follow this Rick, and see what secrets he knew….and perhaps….just perhaps….he could find his own salvation.

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 **END NOTE:** I may or may not continue this. Please let me know if you'd like more. And I will reiterate that this is just a friendship fic, there will be no sexual content whatsoever!


	2. Chapter 2

_**E Pluribus Unum: "From Many, One"**_

xxxxx

Morty D15 didn't usually come to the seedier part of Mortytown.

Then again, Morty D15 didn't ever come to other parts of Mortytown, and he definitely never went anywhere with a Rick.

There was something very off about this Rick. (Granted, there was something very "off" about Ricks in general-but this particular Rick was much quieter than usual.)

It made Morty D15 nervous….very nervous.

He almost decided to turn back and sneak off without saying goodbye….

….but there was an unsuppressable urge in his gut to know why this Rick-this particular Rick out of all those Ricks-wanted to talk to him….Did it matter what dimension he came from? Did it matter what Morty this Rick ran into? These and other questions nagged him to no end, pushing him forward, as they continued to walk through the still eerily quiet, but more active part of town.

"Active" was the polite word for "delinquent", as this was the part of town that was in even worse shape than where Morty D15 lived. Mortys here had lost all sense of self-preservation and self-respect, as well as any sense of moral conduct or civility. They ran rampant in the streets, like wild feral animals. Some preferred to attempt survival alone while others ran together in packs, like wolves. It wasn't uncommon in these parts to find Morties attacking other Morties in the streets without remorse, and many Morties were carrying weapons hidden on themselves, and you would never know until it was too late….

Morty shivered and stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets. He really detested this part of the town he lived in-was forced to live in, really, because he had no way out of the Citadel….because the only way was by portal gun, or flying ship-as the Citadel existed in a pocket of space which was between dimensions and multiverses….and no Morties were allowed to use a Portal Gun, much less own one themselves (this was simply unheard of).

In all his years living alone, Morty D15 had dreamt of meeting a Rick who could get him out of this state of disrepair and despair. Aside from his general curiosity about this Rick's real motives, this was the real reason he was following this Mystery Rick….and why he didn't turn around to go home, even as they entered a place Morty D15 would never have, in his right mind, on his own set foot in-"The Mortiferum". It was one of the sketchiest places to go as a Morty, and Morty D15 shivered again as all the Mortys inside turned towards the door, as the Rick at his side entered first. Taking a deep breath, Morty stepped forward and followed behind Rick closely.

A Bouncer Morty appeared in front of them without warning, and Morty D15 nearly tripped and fell into Rick; to Morty's relief, Rick seemed not to have noticed and said not a word.

"Coordinates please?" The Bouncer Morty spoke with enough enthusiasm to drive away a crowd on Saturday night; this was clearly the last place he wanted to be, and Morty D15 felt a sharp pang of sympathy that he quickly buried before it could show.

"N/A," Rick replied in an almost equally monotone voice. "Here-take this and let us be for awhile alright?"

Morty D15 watched in amazement as Rick slipped the Bouncer Morty a fifty.

"Rick!" Morty whispered fiercely, "Ricks aren't supposed to-"

"Can it, Morty!" Rick silenced him back just as fiercely (Morty did immediately as he was told; he could see in Rick's eyes that it was in everyone's best interest that he should; even so, he couldn't suppress his amazement at the transaction; no Ricks were allowed to give Mortys money.)

"I-I can't believe it," Morty whispered over and over in amazement.

"Sh-SHUSH!" Rick spoke firmly yet gently as he gave Morty's arm a soft squeeze; he looked seconds away from panicking, his eyes darting around wildly in concern. "D-don't cause a scene!"

They quickly grabbed a booth at the far back of the club.

"Hey…." Morty D15 started to speak, then stopped himself. He suddenly felt very shy and hated it. "Y...you didn't tell me to shut up," he said carefully, shuffling uncomfortably in his seat, suddenly very self-conscious and aware of every little thing he did. Things were suddenly beginning to feel very claustrophobic. He kept his eyes on the red exit signs above each door. "Usually…." Morty swallowed hard. He didn't like to talk about himself, least of all when it came to how things were with Ricks. "...usually any Rick I'm with is always telling me to shut up-and they-they always scream it in my face….but you….you didn't do any of that...and, and you didn't call me any names…." Not sure how to continue, Morty simply trailed off and let the sentence die there.

They sat in an incredibly uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before the Rick cleared his throat awkwardly and loudly, groaning softly to himself as he winced and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Shit...I've made him annoyed already, thought Morty with a flash of panic-but he quickly suppressed the urge to flee, as the look Rick gave him made him pause.

It was a look of sadness, and guilt, and regret.

It was a look Morty D15 had not seen often on any Rick's face, and he wondered what had caused it to be there.

"Look," the Rick said, sounding unbelievably weary as he leaned forward, "I may be a Rick, but not all Ricks are-are the same, you know….? I….." The Rick paused as if to consider something, and Morty's eyes widened further in amazement: was this Rick being introspective?

"I….I don't understand the, the ways some Ricks treat their, their Morties-like like they're expendable, you get tired of one so you find another…." The Rick cleared his throat again and shifted awkwardly in his seat. "They see Morties like you as a possession; a tool, to be used to their satisfaction .and, well, I simply don't agree….because, let's face it," Rick added, suddenly sitting upright, as if he'd come to a sudden conclusion, "if all of the Morties are expendable….then all us Ricks are, too, right? I mean, there are so many dimensions out there in the Multiverse, and-and-if everyone is expendable, than nobody matters, nothing matters….and who, who in their right mind wants to live like that….M-Morty? Shit." Rick stopped as he saw that this Morty's face had grown ashen as he'd continued, only to suddenly drip with tears. "Shit-I-Shit." Rick slumped back, his voice matching his face: crestfallen. "I-I don't know what I said kid, but….I-I didn't mean to-"

"Thank you." It was the only thing that Morty could muster through the frog in his throat. He'd never known any Rick could ever appreciate a Morty, let alone acknowledge that ALL Morties were valuable in their own way….like this Rick just did. It was the greatest gift he'd ever been given. He suddenly realized, he wanted to change….to be better….to be greater….and to live the life he'd always dreamt of….and maybe, just maybe, with this Rick's help, he could.

Suddenly, it didn't matter why this Rick had sought out Morties. Right now, he was sitting with Morty D15, and that was what counted….because HE had been chosen by this Rick, for whatever reason….and that gave Morty hope, because….

….dare he think it….

Maybe this Rick was meant to be his.

TO BE CONTINUED…..(Thanks for reading!) :)


	3. Chapter 3

_He should have been quicker._

 _If he had been quicker, Rick would still have been alive, and his entire family wouldn't have perished._

 _He'd made an awful "Morty shield"-because he couldn't shield Rick when it really mattered-when, at Bird Person's wedding, Tammy had unveiled her true persona-as a secret, undercover Federal agent who was really out for blood. RICK's blood._

 _And then she had killed Bird Person cold. And then she had pointed the gun at Rick...and his family…._

 _...and Morty D15 froze._

 _He froze, like a useless, pathetic piece of trash. He just sat there, frozen, as, without any warning, Tammy fired-and before he could react, Rick-and then his parents, one by one-and then, his sister-were gone-_

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Morty D15 somehow managed to snap himself back to the present moment:

Where, right across from him, sat a man whose face he'd tried time and again to get out of his mind….and Morty again had to resist the urge to get up and bolt for the door….but something-was it guilt? Fascination?-kept him there, wanting to know more….wanting to know….more than anything...WHY….why him? This Rick seemed to think differently than other Ricks he'd met. Did that mean-dare Morty hope-beyond all hopes-that HE was somehow….special?

He'd forgotten long ago what it felt like to be thought of as "special".

But he'd never forgotten what the word meant to him.

"So um…" Morty broke the uncomfortable silence, as Rick seemed to be staring off into space as well. "Why, um, are you, erm, in Mortytown, again?"

"Oh, that." Rick shifted awkwardly, seeming suddenly uneasy under Morty's gaze (another unusual characteristic, Morty noted), and snickered with amusement. "Get right to the point, why don'tcha?"

"Are you-um-" Morty blushed. "-undercover? Or are you really, um….do you really look like that all the time?"

"Seriously? That's what you want to ask me?" Rick snorted. "Okay, I get it, I look like shit. Moving on now-"

"No!" Morty balked, holding his hands up in a truce gesture, "I-I meant-you just, um-where do you-live?"

"Nowhere. Anywhere. Why the hell does it even matter?" Rick had narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You ask way too many questions."

"S-sorry," Morty blushed again, and lowered his eyes to the table.

"Forget it. Now, if you had asked the right questions, you'd already know the real reason I'm here." Rick's suddenly surly tone was becoming more familiar. "The real reason is, I need a Morty to find a Morty."

"Wh- _what_?" Morty nearly spat out his his orange juice. "Wh-what does that even _mean_? This, this place is crawling with Mortys, and m-most of them all look the same….what's so special about the Morty _you_ want?"

"He's MY Morty." Rick again looked very suspicious, causing Morty to shrink under his gaze.

"B-but how would I-"

"Can't hear you, speak up."

"-know he's _your_ Morty?"

Rick snorted and looked away. "That's easy. He's got a scar above his right eye. It's a pretty badass scar."

"H-how'd he get the-"

"Not important," Rick interjected, cutting him off abruptly. "Point is, he's got a scar, so that should narrow it down-"

"Um…" Morty tried to avoid eye contact as he answered, "not really, a lot of Mortys have scars…."

An even more uncomfortable silence followed as Rick's eyes narrowed even further. Morty could feel what sense of trust they had between them slipping away. "What's his coordinates?" Morty asked before he could lose his nerve.

"The fuck does that matter?" Rick spat incredulously.

"S-seriously? Identification!" Morty spouted, almost proud of being aware of the obvious that this Rick seemed to have forgotten. "If we didn't know each other's coordinates, nobody would be able to tell the other apart."

"S-sounds unnecessary." Rick harrumphed. "Oh-and my Morty's coordinates….can't tell you."

"Wh-why?" Morty stared in bewilderment, in spite of himself.

To his amazement, it was Rick's turn to- _blush_!? (But Ricks never blush! Morty thought to himself.) Yet, this one was. And he rubbed the back of his neck in an awkward fashion, much like Morty did when he was insecure. Strangely, it made Morty feel more comfortable around the man, to see his own traits in this Rick was refreshing...it reminded him that, even though all Ricks were, by default, "crazy", they were still related by some strands of DNA.

"Look. I know how this sounds," Rick began-almost haltingly, as though he were- (unsure of himself?) (and Morty nearly choked on his orange juice again), "I...really don't remember my….Morty's coordinates."

This time, Morty actually DID spit out his orange juice-practically soaking Rick in the process, who in turn glared back at him with sound annoyance; he absently rubbed at his already dirty brown jacket, even though there were stains all over it (another thing that boggled Morty's mind; as Ricks, though they all were drunks, were always impeccably neat).

"WHAT?" Morty doubled over in laughter, unable to restrain himself this time. He just couldn't help himself-a Rick who didn't know his own assigned Morty's coordinates? That was simply unheard of-not to mention that it simply didn't make any sense! "How-how could you not know your own Morty's coordinates!?" Morty sputtered, beside himself with astonishment and amusement as he simply gawked at Rick, now close to speechlessness as he anxiously awaited an answer.

"Look. Again," Rick reiterated, clearly annoyed, "I know how this sounds! But-it's not my fault, okay? S-seriously, it isn't! I-I didn't just forget them. See-see this bruise here?" Rick whirled around and parted some of his hair, at which point Morty gasped: as a rather large scar was revealed. It was a relatively old wound, perhaps about a year or so old, but it was still noticeable enough that Morty winced at the sight of it.

"Ouch!" Morty sympathized, "how did you get-"

"Wisest are the ones who wait," Rick snapped. "I-I got…" Again, to Morty's amazement, he blushed, this time even deeper. "I-let's just say-I got into an-an accident."

For a moment, all Morty could do was stare. When he found his voice, he managed, "What-kind of an 'accident'?"

"The kind that knocks you over the head so hard you wake up the next morning with a wicked goose egg that feels worse than the worst hangover, and you can't remember why and you don't want to either." Rick looked away then, and Morty had a feeling that he'd been told far more than Rick had wanted him to know.

"So…." Morty was slowly putting two and two together. "You got hit on the head and….and now you don't know what coordinates you are?"

"BINGO," Rick snorted into his flask. "Y-you really like to take your time on these things-don't you? Must have been a prize student with pop quizzes."

"Ac-actually," Morty admitted, "My Rick made me drop out of school while I was with him so-so we could focus on our adventures-" He stopped as soon as he realized his mistake.

"Lucky bastard," Rick snickered, then paused. "Wait-you had a Rick?" His interest was clearly peaked, and it left a queasy feeling in the pit of Morty's stomach.

"Y-yeah. But-let's just forget about it-okay?" Morty scrambled to his feet. "I-I'm sorry," he mumbled, suddenly antsy as heck for some reason, "But-I gotta go."

"Don't forget to flush and don't touch anything."

"No-" Morty blushed, as he stood to leave, "I-I mean I've got to get going….s-sorry for wasting your time-"

"W-woah!" Rick stood up abruptly, "Wait a second there, Slick!"

Morty halted, startled by the insistency in Rick's voice. "Wh-why?" he muttered, blushing down at the ground. "I- I'm not your Morty….and I don't want a Rick."

"Hey." Rick stepped quickly out of the booth, blocking his view of the exit door. "I didn't say I needed just ANY Morty-just MY Morty-but-I-shit, this is hard." The Rick seemed to be scrambling for words-a first, when it came for Morty speaking with any Rick-and this gave Morty pause. "I-I can't get out of the Citadel unless I have a portal gun….and….I can't steal a portal gun….unless I have a Morty shield…."

"So-you just want to USE me?" Morty couldn't help himself; his voice rose, even as Rick's eyes widened in alarm, and he began to hush him, but Morty didn't care. "GREAT!" Morty's hands balled tightly into fists of rage. "I KNEW it! You're JUST like EVERY OTHER RICK! You ONLY want to USE US for YOURSELVES!"

"QUIET!" Rick hissed, as several heads turned at the shout, and pulled Morty quickly aside, even as Morty tried to weasel his way out of Rick's suddenly tighter, less gentle grasp, "I KNOW it looks that way but-but I seriously-I really-"

Morty glared and crossed his arms impatiently as he leaned against the side of the booth. He was beginning to see through this Rick's scheme and he wasn't liking it, not one bit.

"This isn't easy for any Ricks to say. I don't LIKE to need ANYONE. _**Got it**_?" Rick snapped darkly, glowering almost dangerously as he-with just as much pressure so as not to hurt, but to make his point-shoved Morty back into the booth they had been sitting at. Morty was so startled by the shove and the words that he simply fell into his seat, dazed. He was in disbelief: had this Rick just _admitted_ he actually needed his HELP? (Impossible! Ricks didn't need help from anyone, let alone a Morty's!)

A small smile crossed Morty's face. He'd NEVER expected ANY Rick to ask for HIS help….let alone ANY Morty's….let alone ANYONE'S. This Rick must really be in a bind, Morty thought to himself with amusement. His curiosity was peaked now more than ever.

"So….you're saying….you want my help?" Morty tried not to show how ecstatic he suddenly felt over this prospect.

There was an awkward pause that lingered much longer than it should have. Then, a hesitant, and grumbled, "Yes."

"And...say I _**do**_ agree…." Morty smugly crossed his arms, suddenly feeling a bit more confident, "What do _**I**_ get in return?"

Rick also crossed his arms, as if to remind Morty his place, and scowled. "Hmph, I see that your years with Rick taught you the value of bargaining."

"Among other things," Morty added quietly, his voice suddenly muting at the thought.

It was Rick's response that snapped him out of his funk. "How about a ticket out of this dump?"

Morty's eyes widened as he stared at Rick, amazed. "Seriously? But-How? You obviously don't have a portal gun OR a ship," Morty noted with a heavy eyeroll of disgust, "or you would have left by now."

" _ **AH!"**_ It was Rick's turn now to smile-almost maniacally-as he pointed a crooked, bony finger in Morty's direction-grinning widely, as if Morty had just given him the answer to the reason for existence, " _ **THAT**_ -my boy-is where _**YOU**_ come in."

 **TO BE CONTINUED.**

 **Hmmm….Wonder what Rick's got up his sleeve? Thanks for reading, please review if you want more!**


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